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When we Unite,
We all BECOME.
Transforming Communities Through Education, System Building & Collective Healing
BECOME is more than a nonprofit—we are an ecosystem.
We partner with residents to build sustainable systems that anchor economic mobility, educational innovation, and cultural healing in communities across Chicago and beyond.
Through our signature model, Culturally Responsive Community Transformation (CRCT), we don’t just serve communities.
We co-create with them—designing ecosystems where families own the future they imagine.
OUR CRCT PROCESS
CRCT is a rigorous, data-driven, community-centered process grounded in over four decades of research on culturally responsive pratices.
Our Current Focus:
The CRCT Education & Economy Program
In Auburn Gresham, we’re equipping youth and families to:
Design new education systems rooted in cultural relevance and emotional intelligence
Build community wealth through worker-owned businesses, housing cooperatives, and local investment strategies
Lead community safety through care, not control
These initiatives are driven by two Innovation Groups—Youth & Economic Mobility—that serve as a living classroom for systems transformation.
WHY FUND BECOME?
Your investment in BECOME doesn’t just fund a project — it powers an ecosystem. We turn institutional support into education models, community-owned economies, and healing systems designed by the very people they serve.
When you Invest,
We all Become
Here’s what your partnership makes possible:
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Systemic ROI: Your funding doesn’t stop at programming. It builds infrastructure—education models, governance systems, and economic frameworks that communities own and sustain.
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Economic Impact: Our CRCT model strengthens community owned businesses, co-ops, and intergenerational wealth.
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Data-Driven: We train residents to become evaluators and storytellers—ensuring learning and measurement are embedded at every stage.
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Healing as Strategy: Circle practice, co-creation, and trauma-informed systems design are part of every touchpoint.
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Proven + Scalable: Auburn Gresham is the blueprint. The CRCT model is built to scale.
Community Leadership
At BECOME we work with funders, foundations, and institutions to foster sustainable infrastructure for community-led leadership and change.
Join us in building a brighter future for all.
MEET OUR FOUNDER
Dr. Dominica McBride
Dr. Dominica McBride is a leading thinker in the realm of community psychology, community healing, and collective transformation. As a champion of Culturally Responsive Evaluation and a grassroots advocacy strategist, she has dedicated her work to building the capacity of communities to create the reality they desire and deserve.
In 2013, Dr. McBride founded BECOME with the belief that communities should be at the forefront of realizing their visions of thriving communities. Drawing on her experience in program development and evaluation projects in Arizona, the Chicago area, and Tanzania, Africa, she recognizes the power of culturally responsive evaluation as a tool for positive change.
Dr. McBride holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Consultation from Arizona State University. She has served as a consultant, program director, adjunct faculty member, and therapist. She is a sought-after speaker and trainer across the nation, recognized with awards including the Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award from the American Evaluation Association and Supervisor of the Year Award from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. In 2025, she was named Most Influential CEO in Community Development (Illinois) and featured in Who's Who in America, and she is set to receive the Health 2.0 Visionaries Award in 2026.
Beyond her work, she is a dedicated mother who finds joy and purpose in watching her two remarkable children grow and flourish.
